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The Federal Communications Commission recently blacklisted all new foreign-made drones and components due to concerns that the foreign equipment is an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.
Politico reports the technology is on the Commission’s “Covered List,” barring foreign drone manufacturers from receiving the FCC’s approval to sell new drone models for import or sale into the U.S.
Agri-Pulse is reporting the ban’s timing hurts as many farmers are financially struggling because of high production costs, which makes the precise application of crop protection products and fertilizers especially important. Most precision agriculture is increasingly accomplished through using drones.
“Foreign-manufactured drones represent a significant majority of the agricultural drone market, and sudden restrictions on their use without sufficient domestic alternatives would add new financial burdens on already over-stressed farmers,” the American Soybean Association said in a statement.
The FCC said the ban won’t ground the thousands of already deployed unmanned aircraft in the U.S.
